Well-cleaning device



A. S. JONES.

WELL CLEANING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.26. IsIa.

,1,318,207 y Imm-MINI om. 7, 1919.

l ARTHUR S. JONES, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

WELL-CLEANING DEVICE.

Application filed March 26,- 1918.

To @ZZ whom t may concern.

Bc it-known that I, ARTHUR S. JONES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kansas Citv, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented certain newl and useful Improvements in Nell-Cleaning Devices; and I do declare the following toA be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and uso the same, reference being had to the accompanving drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon7 which form a part. of this specification.

My invention relates to a well cleaning device, and more particularly to a device of that character for cleaning out and enlarging the lower uncased part of a well so that a freer iow of oil to the easing may be provided; the principal object of the invention being to provide a cleaner shaft, that may be lowered into a well and revolved after it has been lowered to working position and whereon an expansible head is provided which may be moved to and from expanded position while the shaft is in operation.

A further object of the invention is to provide improved means for holding the shaft in working position and for revolving the same, means for adjusting the expansible head members to a desired position and means for feeding water to the well while the cleaning is taking place.

In accomplishing these objects I have provided improved details of structure the preferred forms of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure I is a sectional view of -a well, showing a cleaning device, constructed according to the present invention, located therein.

Fig. II is an enlarged sectional view of the lower end of the cleaner shaft particularly illustrating the expansible members and the means for moving the same to expanded relation.

F ig. III is a transverse horizontal section through the expansible members, when in closed position, taken on the line III III. Fig. I.

Fig. IV an enlarged horizontal sectional view on the line Ill-IV, Fig. I, particularly Specification of Letters atent.

Patented. @et 19M),

Serial No. 224,750.

illustrating the shaft gripping wedges, for supporting the shaft at an adjusted position.

Fig. V is a side view of a modified form of reainer arm, equipped with a plurality of pricker wheels.

Fig. VI is a perspective view of one of the pricker wheels used on ther reamer arm shown in Fig. V.

Referring more in detail to the drawings:

l designates a. tubular well casing which extends the required distance into the ground and which may comprise a plurality of sections, gradually decreasing in diameter toward the lower end of the casing, and which may be joined together by any suitable means (not shown) so that a liquid tight casing is provided and oil or the like, may be pumped therethrough.

At its upper end the casing terminates in an open end beneath a horizontal platform or base 3, supported at opposite sides of the casing on beams H aird rprovided directly above the casing opening with an opening 5.

Fixed on the upper side of the platform 3,

. concentrically about the opening 5, is a bearing ring or band 6 and seated thereon is a horizontally operating, upwardlyv facing' bevel gear wheel 7 provided on its lower side with a downwardlyv extending ring iangej which fits revolnbly within 'the ring so that. the said wheel majY be revolved without being displaced from position on the base 8. The gear wheel 7 operates in mesh with, and is driven by a bevel gear pinion 9 mounted on the inner end of a shaft 10, that is revolubly mounted in a bearing 11 fixed at one side of the platform, and which is provided with a wheel 12 over which a belt'inaj/ operate to drive the mechanism.

Extending from the upper side of the gear wheel 7 is a squared hub 14 which .tits within a squared socket 14 in the enlarged lower end 15 of a sleeve 16; the upper end of the sleeve having a circular, downwardly tapering opening 17 in vertical coaxial alinement with the opening 5 in the base 3, and extending therethrough is the upper end of a cleaning shaft 18 which extends into the well and is adjustably supported from the sleeve at a desirable working depth.

To lock the cleaner shaft 18 to the sleeve,

is apparent that as the gear pinion 9 isl driven, the-larger gear wheel 7 will be revoli/ed, and through the 'sleeve 16 and wedge blocks -20 revolves the cleaner shaft.

The cleaner shaft 18 comprises a plurality of tubular sections, suitably joined together, and is of sufficient lengthto extend slightly below the lower end of the well casing and at its up-per end to project above the Gil supporting sleeve 16.

Fixed on the lower end of the shaft, by means of an internally threaded, sleeve 22, is a reamer head 23 provided about its lower end with downwardly opening slots 2e wherein the upper ends of reamer arms 25 are pivotally mounted by means of transverse pins The arms 25 are practically straight along their upper portions, but at their lower ends curve inwardly so that,

when in closed position with their 'lower ends brought together, an upwardly tapering channel or opening 28 will be formed therebetween; the taper of the channel .bef ing effected by forming inwardly sloping shoulders 29 along the inner sides of the arms.

The means employed for moving the reamer arms from closed to extended position comprises a cone-shaped wedge 30 that is suspended by a cable or rod 31 that eX- -tends upwardly through the tubular shaft 18 and at its upper end is fixedl to an adjusting screw 32, whereby the wedge may be raised or lowered and held .at adjustedv position; it being` apparent that while the wedge is at its lower limit where the width of the opening between the reamer .arms is the greatest, the arms are not affected thereby, but as the wedge is drawn upwardly toward the narrower end of the opening, it consequently spreads the arms apart.

The screw threads through a collar or nut 34 which is seated revolubly on a stand 35 that is formed on a cap 36, mounted by a swivel connection on the upper end of the cleaner shaft; the cap closesthe upper end of the shaft and'has a pipe 37 opening thcreinto whereby water may be flowed into the shaft while the cleaning operation is taking place.

The reamer arms are practically square in cross section but .at their forward sides may be provided with a cutting edge 39 (Fig. III) to malte the operation easier and faster.

. In Fig. V, I have shown a modified form of reamer arm whiclf is equipped at its lower or working end. with a plurality of closely arranged pricker "wheels 40 as is located above the well opening, and the cleanershaft with the reamer arms in closed position is lowered therethrough into the well.

After the cleaner shaft has been properly located, it is locked and supported from the collar or sleeve 16 by inserting the wedge blocks 20-20. liower is then appliedVY .through the belt wheel 12 to `drive the gear wheels 9 and 7 to revolve the shaft.

As the shaft revolves, the nut 34 is turned to draw upwardly onI the cable 31 to raise the wedge 8O between the arms 25 and to cause the latter to be moved to extended position, and during the operation, water is fed into the shaft through the pipe 31 which flows to the working head to loosen the sand y or earth wherein the head.y is operating.

In some cases it is not necessary to use the wedge to spread the reamer arms, as the centrifugal force caused by the revolving shaft moves the arms to open position.

It is apparent that in this manner the well hole may be quickly cleared or enlarged and may be deepened so that a more readyV flow of oil and a larger supply may be provided.

After a cleaning process has been completed, the cable or rod 31 is loosened to lower the wedge 30 to allow the arms to move to closed position and the s'naft may then be drawn froml the well.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new` therein, and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is

In a device o f the character described, in combination, a hollow revoluble shaft, a tubular head connected thereto and having opposed pairs of recesses in the lower edge, a plurality of reamer arms square in cross section. and having spaced main portions and inwardly curved lower portions and also having the outer corners sharpened, ears formed on the upper ends of the arms, upwardly sloping shoulders formed integral with the inneredges of thearms, means I @nils of ilie arms normally contacting wLli wich other,- a vertically movable rod in the sliii'lt and ncoi1e-slmped wedge member cui'- rid by the lower end of the rod and qi*- ifeuigecl between the zu'ms and normally positioned in the channel' to insure of the lower ends ofjdie arms lying iiicontacting rolution but inovablig upwardly when the rodv is raised info riding engagement with the shoulders for expanding the L1-m5.

In testimony whereof I allix my signature.

ARTHUR S. J ON ES 

